Tony
05-01-2009, 10:28
http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/45229/dana_white_medium.jpg
Dana White, the man at the forefront of MMA's most successful organization, will likely never have to worry about universal acceptance from the MMA community. In a way, his public persona overshadows his accomplishments and good deeds. Brian Knapp explains (http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/the-doggy-bag-critiquing-dana-white-15669) that there's more to the story:
Having said that, White’s also a shrewd businessman with an undeniable passion for the sport, and his decisions have shaped the UFC juggernaut into a monster moneymaker. Because he’s such a polarizing figure, he’s gotten far less credit than he deserves.
White has a softer side, too, as he showed in wake of the gruesome injury suffered by lightweight prospect Corey Hill (http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Corey-Hill-23864) at UFC Fight Night 17 in December. Hill snapped his lower leg when he kicked opponent Dale Hartt (http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Dale-Hartt-11970) early in the second round and had to be stretchered out of the cage. He later underwent surgery and was hospitalized for a number of days. UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta and White called Hill together at the Cape Fear Valley Medical Center in Fayetteville, N.C., and wished him a speedy recovery. Their goodwill did not end there.
In addition to paying for Hill’s medical expenses, the UFC left one of its employees behind to stay with him at the hospital for the first six days of his stay. When Hill was released from the hospital a week and a half later, the UFC paid for Hill and his family to remain at a hotel, so he could visit with doctors again before leaving for home.
I must confess that the above article gave me an excuse to revisit the UFC's handling of the Corey Hill situation (http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2008/12/31/705939/corey-hill-speaks). It's important that we as fans stop to commend the UFC for going out of its way to help a badly injured employee. White is constantly maligned for what many believe is shoddy treatment of his fighters. How fighters are dealt with in terms of contracts and contract negotiations isn't the focus of this post.
The point is really simple. Dana White, Lorenzo Feritita, and the UFC as a whole did what they could to alleviate some of the initial concerns for Corey Hill and his family in the wake of a horrific injury. No doubt, some will try to minimize these efforts and discredit the UFC in some way; that's to be expected. In my view, these actions aren't those of an organization that doesn't care at all about the well-being of its fighters. While the UFC is deserving of criticism at times, I don't believe it's appropriate in this case.
Generalization and categorization is all too common in our society as far as I'm concerned. Certain people, or groups of people, can't be narrowly defined in an honest way. Maybe life would be easier to understand if shades of gray failed to exist. However, nuance does exist and it isn't going away. It's fine to hurl criticism at Dana White and company when necessary. Just don't forget to tip your hat to this same group when their actions are worthy of such a gesture.
Dana White, the man at the forefront of MMA's most successful organization, will likely never have to worry about universal acceptance from the MMA community. In a way, his public persona overshadows his accomplishments and good deeds. Brian Knapp explains (http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/the-doggy-bag-critiquing-dana-white-15669) that there's more to the story:
Having said that, White’s also a shrewd businessman with an undeniable passion for the sport, and his decisions have shaped the UFC juggernaut into a monster moneymaker. Because he’s such a polarizing figure, he’s gotten far less credit than he deserves.
White has a softer side, too, as he showed in wake of the gruesome injury suffered by lightweight prospect Corey Hill (http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Corey-Hill-23864) at UFC Fight Night 17 in December. Hill snapped his lower leg when he kicked opponent Dale Hartt (http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Dale-Hartt-11970) early in the second round and had to be stretchered out of the cage. He later underwent surgery and was hospitalized for a number of days. UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta and White called Hill together at the Cape Fear Valley Medical Center in Fayetteville, N.C., and wished him a speedy recovery. Their goodwill did not end there.
In addition to paying for Hill’s medical expenses, the UFC left one of its employees behind to stay with him at the hospital for the first six days of his stay. When Hill was released from the hospital a week and a half later, the UFC paid for Hill and his family to remain at a hotel, so he could visit with doctors again before leaving for home.
I must confess that the above article gave me an excuse to revisit the UFC's handling of the Corey Hill situation (http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2008/12/31/705939/corey-hill-speaks). It's important that we as fans stop to commend the UFC for going out of its way to help a badly injured employee. White is constantly maligned for what many believe is shoddy treatment of his fighters. How fighters are dealt with in terms of contracts and contract negotiations isn't the focus of this post.
The point is really simple. Dana White, Lorenzo Feritita, and the UFC as a whole did what they could to alleviate some of the initial concerns for Corey Hill and his family in the wake of a horrific injury. No doubt, some will try to minimize these efforts and discredit the UFC in some way; that's to be expected. In my view, these actions aren't those of an organization that doesn't care at all about the well-being of its fighters. While the UFC is deserving of criticism at times, I don't believe it's appropriate in this case.
Generalization and categorization is all too common in our society as far as I'm concerned. Certain people, or groups of people, can't be narrowly defined in an honest way. Maybe life would be easier to understand if shades of gray failed to exist. However, nuance does exist and it isn't going away. It's fine to hurl criticism at Dana White and company when necessary. Just don't forget to tip your hat to this same group when their actions are worthy of such a gesture.